Candidates for Pastoral Council Elections 2018

Julie Fitchitt

I came to St Patrick Parish in 1961 when my family moved to the neighborhood.  I attended grade school at  St Patrick’s School  and high school at Aquinas Academy.  Over the years I lived in other areas of the city but always considered St Pat’s my parish.

My faith experience, particularly over the past several years since my retirement as a Registered Nurse, has been decidedly enhanced by my active participation in the liturgy and other Ministries: I am co-facilitator for the Senior (also known as the Women of Wisdom and the Men of Maturity) Ministry, I am a Stephen Minister, a Lector. a member of the Disability Inclusion Ministry and have the privilege of managing the St. Patrick Prayer Line.

I am both excited and humbled by the prospect of being involved  in the process of welcoming and getting to know our new parish  priest. I would consider it a particular privilege to help shape the future of our parish community as a member of the Parish Council.

My name is Andrew Kariuki and I am originally from Kenya; and having moved to the US in 2003 with my family. I am married with 2 wonderful children, with our youngest one been a 3rd grader at St Pats School. We became members of the church and school 5 years ago, and have continued to witness and admire the great support and services that we enjoy by been part of the St Pats family.

I am honored if elected to be a member of the Pastoral committee, so as to be able to give back to the great St Pats community. We have always received awesome support and services from the church and school, which is a major reason that I would love to give back the same support and services to all out there seeking the same support as we did, or more so, even great support.

Thank you for believing in me and God bless everyone for all they have done or will do.

Saint Patrick Church and School continue to grow more and more important in my life.

Last June I retired after 26 years teaching Art at Saint Patrick Catholic School.

What a privilege to work with so many of your children, literally watching them grow up, fostering their creativity and helping to bolster their confidence in all of their varied talents.
Being a part of that extraordinary faculty and staff taught me about living in friendship and trust. Being a part of St. Pats parish encourages me to become more involved with all parish members as we share our faith, skills and talents in this welcoming community.

This month I celebrate the conclusion of the 9 month retreat, Spiritual Exercises in Everyday Life (SEEL); one way of making St. Ignatius’ Spiritual Exercises. It has given me a fresh perspective on God’s love and participation in all of our lives and an increased desire to serve.

There are so many good things coming our way in this time of transition, growth and opportunity.

I would be honored to represent you as a member of the Saint Patrick Catholic Church Pastoral Council.

Michael Faltus grew up in Rhode Island as one of five children. Coming from a devout Irish Catholic family, he has experienced the tremendous benefits catholic schools bring to the community by attending catholic schooling from Pre‐k through prep school.

After college Michael worked with various investment banks on the east coast. After the market collapse Michael joined the military and was stationed with the 75th Ranger Regiment at JBLM. Following his completion of military service Michael now works for Pinnacle Capital Partners in Tacoma. In addition to these experiences, Michael spent time contemplating priesthood while attending seminary for 1 year and a half. He is also involved with the Amici foundation, (Fulcrum Foundation) as part of the Archdiocese’s initiative to drive young professionals to bring their time and talent to support Catholic schools. Michael is excited, driven, and enthusiastic to bring his background to serve this great parish community.

In addition to being involved with the Church, Michael serves as a football official. During the week you will catch Michael at the downtown YMCA as he is both an active member and volunteer. Other interests include working out, cooking, and being a father to Kayden, his 3.5 year old son who will be attending Saint Patrick Catholic School’s Pre‐K program in September.

I have been a parishioner at Saint Patrick’s Parish for almost 30 years. Dave and I were married here in 2004, and both of our boys, Jack (6th) and David (4th) , have happily attended Saint Patrick’s School since preschool.

Born an army brat, I was lucky enough to travel with my family for the first portion of my life-all throughout the USA, with a four year assignment in Japan. Throughout our travels we carried God with us in our hearts and many homes. After taking up permanent residence in Tacoma, we have felt so fortunate to have found a lasting faith community in Saint Patrick’s. I attended Charles Wright Academy and University of Puget Sound, eventually attaining my Masters degree in Business Administration from City University.

I worked fifteen years at Nordstrom, starting in sales and retired from their corporate office in 2005, where I developed training materials and conducted training’s on their new computer systems as well as developed and implemented a New Hire Orientation for their Import Division.

I would love to serve on the Pastoral Council and bring my experience as a parent from the school as well as be a model to my family and community. I plan to continue to worship and serve, helping to build bridges from the parish to the school and into the community. I enjoy people and would love to help welcome our new pastor, strengthen existing relationships , and work in groups to help Saint Patrick’s continue to grow as a pillar in our society and our faith.

I thank you for your prayerful consideration of my nomination for the Pastoral Council.

My family and I moved to Tacoma and began attending St. Patrick’s in 2002 when I was called to active duty from the Navy Reserve.

Many of you are better acquainted with my family: my wife Katy, our older son Andrew, and our younger son, Maximilian; as I spent a lot of time away on sea duty, overseas and on the East coast from 2005 – 2011. Andrew attended school at St. Patrick’s and at Bellarmine Prep and received the sacrament of Confirmation here; and Maximilian received First Holy Communion and has participated in Catechesis of the Good Shepherd and vacation bible school (as a camper and as a camp counselor) and has been an Altar Server for several years.

I have long sought avenues to share my gifts and talents through civic, professional and parochial service. At the Church of the Most Holy Name of Jesus, where we attended in New Orleans, I served as a Eucharistic Minister and on the Parish Finance Council. I’ve also held volunteer and committee leadership positions with the Louisiana bar, CFA Society of Louisiana, the CFA Institute and have served as a FINRA arbitrator for many years. I’ve also held several adjunct faculty appointments.

Over the course of my career I spent over a decade with Big Four accounting firms as a financial planner, tax attorney and CPA, when not on active military service. I have continued to serve as a Supply Corps officer in the Navy Reserve since my separation from active duty.

Thank you for your support–and I welcome your thoughts on how we can make St. Patrick’s a better place, and how we can address the challenges before us. God bless you.

Andy Henrikson

My wife Jacqui and I have been parishioners at Saint Patrick for almost ten years.  Our two kids, Hannah and Thomas, both graduated from our parish school. In our ten years at Saint Pat’s, we have grown to love our parish and school community, and the continued growth of both is very important to us.  As a lifetime Catholic, I know the only way for our parish to thrive is for parishioners to be engaged in all aspects of the church, from Sunday Mass to various volunteer positions. I have already served one three-year term on the school council, where I worked on the earliest phases of the school’s strategic plan.  I would now like to continue my involvement in the parish by offering myself as a candidate for the Parish Council. God bless.

I am so blessed to be part of St. Patrick’s Parish. I started attending St. Pat’s in 2005 and I have been thrilled to call it “my parish” ever since. We have the most wonderful, welcoming people here. The people and community I’ve found are the reason I’m running for Pastoral Council. I benefit from a Catholic school education via All Saints and Bellarmine. My career is in personal finance and wealth management. I earned my Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from Pacific Lutheran University in 2012 and received my Certified Financial Planner (CFP®️) designation in 2016. Many of you have likely heard me sing in the choir or greet at mass. If elected, I would be honored and humbled to serve the members of this parish.

Ted Philichi

My wife Lisa and I have lived in St. Patrick’s parish for 29 years. We have raised 3 children here and they have all attended St. Patrick’s School and Bellarmine. I am a graduate of Bellarmine, UW, and UCLA. I am an owner of a small business, an industrial construction company, based here in the Pacific Northwest. I often participate in legal, business, and technical decisions. Perhaps I could add perspective to our Parish Council.